It may sound dramatic, but at Prep Schools Trust we really do believe that the Prep Sector is changing around us very rapidly and we expect it to continue to do so. So what does the future hold for prep schools as we know them"
Most governing bodies of standalone prep schools have been actively considering whether it is in the best interests of their school to remain on their own or whether the interests of future generations of pupils are best secured and enhanced as part of a group. Many prep schools have recently attached themselves to senior schools, others have been acquired by private companies in return for promises of much needed investment.
Whatever structures the future holds I think that we all believe that our prep schools are worth defending. They occupy some of the most beautiful sites in the country and offer an outstanding range of opportunities for children during such a formative period of their lives. Most of today?s prep schools have pupils in their care for at least 7 years, from Nursery to Year 6, and some for 9 years to Year 8. That?s 27 terms! And those terms are not dominated by major public exams, allowing schools to pursue an imaginative and creative agenda for pupils. Despite these advantages, prep schools generally have less scale compared to senior schools and can be financially more fragile.
Barfield Prep
With this backdrop in mind at our recent summer conference, we tackled the theme ?The Future for Prep Schools? and four keynote spe...